Strenght, Speed, Fat.

DoctorX2k2

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Alright, in the past 19 months, I've been training for mass hoping to get big enough to play football. I managed to pack 37 lbs of muscle + 8 lbs of fat. Now I have exactly 7 months to pre-camp and 11 months to summer camp. The problems are various :

Body Fat of 16%
40 yards dash of 5.1
Weak@$$ strenght (BP of 245, Squat of 365 and Deadlift of 405lbs at a body weight of 207:( )


Goals :
Body Fat of 11%
40 yard dash of 4.7
Become a lot stronger.

Options :
1- Try to lose fat for 14 weeks (December) then work on speed/strenght until the season begins.
2- Train for speed and strenght while eating very clean to make sure not to put anymore fat.
3-Train for speed and strenght until May or June and then lose fat before the season begins.
4-Try to gain strenght and speed while trying to lose fat.

Analysis :
1- Sounds good, although I wont be in the best shape (strenght and speed wise) before March pre-camp.
2- Demands great discipline and more money for food/supplements.
3- I might lose a good amount of strenght and speed while trying to lose fat.
4- Is it possible? Gaining strenght while doing cardio and cutting the calories sounds impossible.

Option 1 sounds better although I'd rather do option 4 if it was possible:confused:. That fat is starting to bother me because of my fatty genetics. But everytime I tried to lose fat, I started to catabolyse muscle like crazy which kinda pissed me off.

Any inputs to get the best of each worlds?
 

PC1

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I think it would be helpful to know a little more about you first.....

1. How old are you?
2. Current Height/Weight?
3. What league (or level) do you want to play in?
4. What position(s) do you play?
5. Do you know the strength/speed/agility test stats that will be required of you for the position(s) you are going to play?
6. Is this a natural endeavor, or will you be cycling AS?

I wish I still had it around but unfortunately I don't...... it was the strength/speed/agility stats the NFL seeks, according to an NFL trainer, and listed by position. I was surprised, for example, on the Bench Press stats. They are more interested in the number of reps guys can do with 225 lbs. (20 minimum, for most positions is my recollection) rather than single rep max.

If this is similar to your requirement, why not work with 225 lbs on the bench and work on getting your reps up to at least your minimum requirement?

On the 40 yard dash, I'm sure that continuing your leg routine including squats for reps would help, but in the end, you need to practice running the 40 and get your time down.

Whatever other agility test you need to complete, you need to practice that as well.

Personally, I think with all the training and running you'll be doing, and eating a fairly clean diet overall, the fat should melt right off you.
 

DoctorX2k2

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I think it would be helpful to know a little more about you first.....

1. How old are you?
2. What league (or level) do you want to play in?
3. What position(s) do you play?
4. Do you know the strength/speed/agility test stats that will be required of you for the position(s) you are going to play?

I wish I still had it around but unfortunately I don't...... it was the strength/speed/agility stats the NFL seeks, according to an NFL trainer, and listed by position. I was surprised, for example, on the Bench Press stats. They are more interested in the number of reps guys can do with 225 lbs. (20 minimum, for most positions is my recollection) rather than single rep max.
1. 18
2. Where I live, we call it college football but college here isnt what it is in the states.
3. I want to play OLB or MLB
4. I dont know... I think they test the bench press with 225lbs and the Power Clean... not sure about other tests, I havent informed myself yet.
 

PC1

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1. 18
2. Where I live, we call it college football but college here isnt what it is in the states.
3. I want to play OLB or MLB
4. I dont know... I think they test the bench press with 225lbs and the Power Clean... not sure about other tests, I havent informed myself yet.
I think you should introduce yourself to the coach and training staff if you haven't already, and find out what stats you need to turn in for your position. Gear your training toward the stats, running the sprints, drills, bench press, power cleans, etc.

I doubt if 2-3% of bodyfat one way or another makes much difference to them. But if your stats don't measure up when your season starts...............

Good luck.
 

DoctorX2k2

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Yeah but I think holding less fat would allow me to run a bit faster.
 
Iron Warrior

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Bro I've done those tests. I played Defensive End/Defensive Tackle. They'll want you at 4.6 or 4.5 on the 40. If you can hit 225 between 25-30 times you'll be in turning heads. What separates most people who are big and fast is the cone shuttle. This is where I fucked up, and I was 5'11'' as well.
 

DoctorX2k2

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Alright. So I really need more speed and strenght... as far as cone shuttle, I have a pretty good footwork.

Im thinking about doing something like this :

Monday : ME Squat
Tuesday : HIIT Cardio in the morning. Agility Drills
Wednesday : ME Bench
Thursday : HIIT Cardio in the morning. Speed work in the afternoon.
Friday : DE Squat
Saturday : HIIT Cardio in the morning. Speed work in the afternoon.
Sunday : DE Bench

HIIT Cardio would make sure to keep gains in mass as lean as possible. I'd eat normally until 6pm when I'd only eat proteins while making sure to be hypercaloric so I can progress.

Inputs please?
 

LunaHotel

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Take one day off per week, man. Otherwise, you might get right into OVERTRAINING and then your strength will not increase well. You could possibly forgo the HIIT of Saturday and train bench - Take sunday off, or forgo friday squats as they require the longest time to recuperate.

Diet-wise, have you thought about doing a ketogenic? I think that would work extremely well. You'd eat lots, and keep your energy way up for training, and a ketogenic will burn fat off you like magic, effortlessly. Plus, ketogenic diets are perfect for longer-term endeavors such as yours. If I were you, I'd seriously consider doing that. Some people will try to convince you that you absolutely need carbs for strength work but that's BS.
 
Iron Warrior

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Yeah but I think holding less fat would allow me to run a bit faster.
Not necessarily. There may not be a big difference in speed from one 240 pound LB to another as long the BF levels aren't ridiculously high. If you get to around 10% that would be great. I believe Ray Lewis has 7% BF according to ESPN and that's for and ELITE, ALL-PRO linebacker. (arguably the best LB in the NFL)
 

DoctorX2k2

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Take one day off per week, man. Otherwise, you might get right into OVERTRAINING and then your strength will not increase well. You could possibly forgo the HIIT of Saturday and train bench - Take sunday off, or forgo friday squats as they require the longest time to recuperate.

Diet-wise, have you thought about doing a ketogenic? I think that would work extremely well. You'd eat lots, and keep your energy way up for training, and a ketogenic will burn fat off you like magic, effortlessly. Plus, ketogenic diets are perfect for longer-term endeavors such as yours. If I were you, I'd seriously consider doing that. Some people will try to convince you that you absolutely need carbs for strength work but that's BS.
You're right about Overtraining... I might as well take Saturday off. I dont want to change the days all over cause my schedule doesnt permit it.
I havent thought about keto but it sounds perfectly suitable in my case. I'll start reading about it... for now, all I know about it is that you increase fats and decrease carbs.
 

LunaHotel

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There is a thread in the "Nutrition" forum called "Step by step ketogenic diet plan" which sums it up pretty well. I just started back on it today. :D
 

DoctorX2k2

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Ok thanks... I'll ask a few questions there though.
 

drfly

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i would pretty much suggest working on stamina/strength for most lifts, because a one rep max doesnt do that much for u in football. its all about having the endurance and stamina to keep going. for example, my current o line coach played for the idaho vandals, and he could do 315 a ridiculous amount of times in college, but other guys could easily beat him as far as a one rep max goes. thats also the reason that the NFL looks at how many times u can do 225, as opposed to a one rep max. anyways, like i was saying, work on getting a lot of endurance in ur bench and squat, then incorporate a couple oly lifts in ur routine for explosiveness and to help with ur CNS. u should also be doing sprints, like 40's and 100's a lot, and work in some plyometrics, foot speed is very important.
 

wyatt

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Does an increase in flexibility help quickness? There is a thread here somewhere about extreme stretching, but its focus is on increasing size. I also do it to help remain injury free.
 

DoctorX2k2

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Does an increase in flexibility help quickness? There is a thread here somewhere about extreme stretching, but its focus is on increasing size. I also do it to help remain injury free.

Yes, because flexibility helps getting a bigger range of movement (ROM).
 
Iron Warrior

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There is a thread here somewhere about extreme stretching
I believe it's about ballistic stretching or PNF (Propioceptive Neuromuscular Stretching) but I could be wrong.
 

TheTom

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It sounds to me like your trying to be a football player and a bodybuilder at the same time.

You gotta pick one, or atleast prioritize one over the other. Can't be juggling them both forever.
 

iron addict

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Losing bodyfat while increasing strenght is absolutely doable with little effort if you go about it the right way. People that will tell you the best you can hope for is to hold on to what you have, or worse, only lose a little are sadly mis-informed. Keto diets work, but performance usually suffers way too much. What you want is a timed carb diet that allows you to keep glycogen stores up for performance, while restricting carbs most of the time to allow bodyfat losses. I have people with horrible genetics that usually have an extremely difficult time adding strenght even while bulking, gain strenght the WHOLE TIME they diet. Juggling the carb timing and days is all that is needed to provide whatever level of fat loss relative to strenght gains. That said the more aggressive you are with the fat loss, the slower strenght gains will be. But it is easy to hit a good balance point where fat loss is good, and strenght gains are solid.

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DoctorX2k2

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It sounds to me like your trying to be a football player and a bodybuilder at the same time.

You gotta pick one, or atleast prioritize one over the other. Can't be juggling them both forever.
Hmmm... I want to be a Lean football player :D Anyways I still have a plenty of time. Im gonna try keto for 6-8 weeks and then Im going to powerlift with a WestSide Barbell routine until my joints can no longer handle it :rolleyes: I'll do everything that is needed to perform.
 

DoctorX2k2

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Losing bodyfat while increasing strenght is absolutely doable with little effort if you go about it the right way. People that will tell you the best you can hope for is to hold on to what you have, or worse, only lose a little are sadly mis-informed. Keto diets work, but performance usually suffers way too much. What you want is a timed carb diet that allows you to keep glycogen stores up for performance, while restricting carbs most of the time to allow bodyfat losses. I have people with horrible genetics that usually have an extremely difficult time adding strenght even while bulking, gain strenght the WHOLE TIME they diet. Juggling the carb timing and days is all that is needed to provide whatever level of fat loss relative to strenght gains. That said the more aggressive you are with the fat loss, the slower strenght gains will be. But it is easy to hit a good balance point where fat loss is good, and strenght gains are solid.

Iron Addict
Hmmm people said they could gain strenght every weeks on Keto. Could you elaborate your thoughts a bit more?
 

LunaHotel

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DoctorX2k2 yes you can gain a LOT of strength on keto, and lose fat, and INCREASE BODYWEIGHT, which means you gain lean mass.

Just don't follow the "youneedcarbsalso" bunnies of the pseudoketo semihalfassreligion. Do the ANABOLIC DIET as per Mauro DiPasquale. Go and make absolutely SURE you get LESS than 30g carbs per day TOTAL. That is an absolute MAX on weektime.

A big mistake a lot of guys do is that they try this diet and after 10 days or so of feeling weak and, REALLY, a little DEPRESSED, and yes this diet does do this to you in the first stage, they leave it be and go for a halfass keto. Well you can still burn fat off these pseudoketo but the beneifts are FAR from as good.

Of course on weekends you can have all the ice cream and pizza you can keep down. After a good 6 weeks of keeping this diet going, you'll find that your results are better if you go absolutely monster-mad-crazy in terms of food excess on the weekend. Take ALA on monday to get back into ketosis better.

The mistake a lot of so-called ketodieters make is that they eat too much carbs. This keeps the body in semi-adapted state to fat-burning, and is essentially a half-assed ketogenic. It doesn't feel good.

YOU DON'T NEED CARBS FOR HIGH INTENSITY WORK. PERIOD.

BUT you have to give your body the time to FULLY adapt to a "carbless" diet, which means that there are enzymes and feedback loops that must get activated, others collapsed and that takes TIME the first time around. After about 4 weeks if you do this correctly I personnally GUARANTEE that you will feel the highest energy levels you have EVER felt.

At that time, you can begin the mid-week carb spike, which is to take a mass-gainer drink of about 1000 calories (NOT MUCH MORE!) immediately after your wednesday workout.
 

DoctorX2k2

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Thanks Luna. Although I'd like to see some guidelines to make myself a plan. I read the keto forums on bb.com but it seems that a few people have different views/ways to do it... which confuses me a bit.

PS : Im a fellow Quebecker :D
 

iron addict

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Keto diets absolutely work for fat loss, and I USED to use them LOTS for both myself and people I trained. I have since discontinued their use for 2 main reasons:

Performance IS an issue for most people. Luna is absolutely correct about the fact that you must allow time for the body to become accustomed to the lack of carbs, and convert over to being primarily a fat burning machine. Nonetheless, MOST people do not experience the level of performance they have when muscle glycogen stores are adequate. And I know this because I have, and had many people try both on a comparative basis, and a timed carb diet provides better performance for the vast majority of people doing them.

Perhaps the biggest reason to no longer favor them is the simple fact that most people just WILL NOT eat only animal products or the few items that are only protein and fat for every meal, every day, day in and day out until the periodic carb-ups occur. The most perfect diet that is not followed is useless, and most people just wont do a pure keto diet consistently. This may not be a big issue for an individual. But I assure you it is a big issue when you train a lot of people. If I task someone to do something with a huge up front knowledge it probably wont be carried out, I fail both myself and the trainee. And I will not allow that to occur. Timed carb diets work extremely well, they keep thyroid high, performance high, and attitude high.

There is nothing wrong with a keto diet if you so chose to use one. I just think there is a better way, that’s all. If they work for you count yourself high on the discipline scale, most folks just wont wait 5 days to eat a few carbs.

Iron Addict
 

DoctorX2k2

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I never really been a carb addict... most the time, my meals consist of proteins and a few carbs from vegetables but I admit I lack of essential fats. Im going to give pure keto a try... anyways I'll only do it for 6-8 weeks so all I have to lose is time (and fat :D). Only 8 weeks... I'll have almost 40 other weeks to get my strenght up. I think it's easier to aim one goal at a time than try to do everything at once and screw it all.
 

LunaHotel

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I agree with you Iron Addict : most people simply won't follow the guidelines for a 5-day just-about-carb-free diet and that screws it up unless you do a timed carb thingie. For some people it IS hard to eat only beef, veal, pork, cheese, eggs, cream, butter and some chicken. It is kinda weird at first but after a while, you get used to it.

People are different one place from another, I guess. I got about a dozen people on this diet and the boys (one woman) did great and had no trouble doing it. I did INSIST that eating more than 30g carbs a day simply screws it up. I guess it's also because of our culture here in Quebec, which is very much like that of France : eating farm products is what comes to mind. How many people here just won't do without their eggs-and-bacon breakfast!?! And we have a true cheese culture, too. So that might very well have something to do with it.

DoctorX2k2 if you're going to do it well for 8 weeks, then you'll probably feel great enough at the end of that, that you'll want to continue.

The trick is, when your body is so fully tuned to burning fat for fuel that the enzymes and metabolic pathways are able to supply energy for HIGH-INTENSITY work, then two things occur : first, you're going to be losing bodyfat just about no matter what you do. Losing fat isn't something you have to think about on such a diet. It simply happens.

Secondly, there is no "wall" anymore. The famed wall that you may hit after so much intense work is glycogen depletion. Since you don't rely on carbs for energy and your fat-burning pathways are sufficient, there is NO wall. This is pretty incredible. I have verified this and man, you simply WILL NOT BELIEVE what you are able to do while on this utterly superior diet. So your stamina will be sky-high too.

Oh, and DoctorX2k2, this is the only diet that will let you make your protein shake with table cream. That gets SO yummy it's worth everything else... ;-)
 

iron addict

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Yup, it really sucks watching someone spend a couple of days to finally reach ketosis and blow it because the walked by the candy machine at work and pigged out-lol.

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DoctorX2k2

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Are you saying that I shouldnt cycle carbs on the week-ends too?
 

LunaHotel

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Huh? Is that question for me, DoctorX2k2?

No-no. The pure ketogenic-anabolic diet is less than 30g carbs a day every day of the week, and a weekend carb-up. Pizza and ice cream. Of course, if you workout on saturday, then it's usually best to begin carb loading after the saturday workout. It's absolutely OK to carb load for less than 48 hours, as a lot of people have a tendency to overdo it if they begin loading on saturday morning and finish it on sunday at night.
 

iron addict

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And the less than 30 grams a day Luna is talking about should be spread out. 30 grams at once will blow most people right out of ketosis. Althought with some AlA and a little activity, its not too hard to get back there.

Iron Addict
 

db682

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Bro, truthfuly, I played football for three years in highschool and wrestled for the same three as well. I played Dlineman and Olineman(sometimes). For both sports I went to states and for football we won it 2 yrs in a row. Some of people from my team (Miami Southridge Spartans) went directly to the NFL(Troy and Darren Davis) and alot of them got sports scholarships to colleges. (I got expelled from that high school within 4 weeks of graduating and had any priviliges yanked but thats another story.) But we were rarely spoken to about losing weight. Are coaches main concern was were we better then the next guy out there. Of course we ate right and ate alot but Im pretty sure we all knew what was good and bad to be putting into our bodies.

I would definitly put most of your effort into increasing stamina and speed at your current weight because from what most of my friends told me after leaving was that the first thing they were told was to get heavier and stronger. Fast is no good if the second the guy touches you you fall over. you get my point.

Check out this website Bigger, Faster, Stronger .
This is what we used all throughout highschool and this is what is also used by many colleges for conditioning athletes. The **** has some pretty intense stuff to it. Minor **** from ankle strengthening exercises to finger strengthening exercises to major **** for speed, agility and stamina movements.

And as for Keto, Like IA said, it effects individuals differently. For someone that is going to be on the field everyday training in direct sun(which I hope your doing or else youll be screwed at camp) I wouldnt recommend it. The **** had me bogged down most of the day while on it and youll need all the energy you can get after an hour of running under the sun.

Good luck bro,

db
 

db682

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This is a pretty good article for you to read as well. db

Applicable Strength Training for Preparing a Collegiate Athlete for the NFL Combine and Pro Day
Jeff Higuera CSCS, C-PT, HFI

Preparing a collegiate athlete for the most important test in their life has many components of study and preparation. Although we may work with these athletes on form, mechanics, and tips that may give them advantages for greater success; a certain level of physicality or strength must be maintained or improved to help maximize their chances of success at the Combine or Pro Day.

An athlete may begin preparing as early as 10 weeks to only 2 weeks before his Pro Day or the Combine depending on many variables such as All-Star Games, Christmas, etc. In any amount of time that we have to prepare these athletes, we have a great responsibility to teach tactical approaches to the shuttle runs, vertical leap and 40 yard sprint. The physical strength that these athletes have attained should continue to be increased to further enhance their chance of greater performance.

The goals of strength training before the Combine or Pro Day should be as follows:

1. To address injuries and rehabilitation concerns following the competitive season 2. To strengthen areas susceptible to injury that may occur during training, Pro Day, or the Combine 3. To increase 225 rep max, increase power and speed strength 4. To help attain desired weight and body composition

Addressing injuries and rehabilitation concerns following the competitive season

Many athletes do not finish the season without bumps and bruises that come along with football. All athletes need to be questioned about their past injuries and be examined by a doctor to insure that no injuries will present a problem in preparing themselves for the test. Injuries must be the first factor addressed by immediately applying physical therapy to their training schedule until the rehab specialist releases them to participate 100% in the preparation program. Furthermore, past or present injuries must be monitored and progressively strengthened throughout the whole program. Lack of monitoring and progression may lead to decreased performance due to re-injury, muscle imbalance, or overcompensation.

“Combine” participants will be examined in an intense medical examination that will expose any injuries that the athlete has had. These results are released to all NFL teams. Injured athletes stock will drop drastically from this process alone. I have seen probable 3rd to 5th round picks go un-drafted because of an injury revealed in the medical examination.

Strengthen areas susceptible to injury that may occur during training, Pro Day, or the Combine

Teams want to see athletes perform, and athletes that are injured cannot perform to their greatest abilities. Pre-hab training is essential to a Combine or Pro Day preparation program, especially for athletes who have a longer shot of getting drafted in the later rounds. These athletes need to put on a stellar performance to enhance their likelihood of getting drafted or signed as a free agent. No athlete, not even probable top picks, want to be labeled as “injury prone.” An athlete with this label may as well kiss their chances good-bye in getting drafted in any round or even getting picked up as a free agent.

Injury prevention training should first begin with training for muscular balance. This can be accomplished through a variety of methods, with my favorite method being push/pull. Push/Pull stresses both agonist and antagonist muscles from both eccentric and concentric directions. (1) An example of this method of training would be to stress the pectorals by performing dumbbell bench press, followed by as one arm row to stress the rhomboids. Push/Pull in the same plane of movement will have the best effect on counter training agonist and antagonist muscle groups.

It is our job as strength and conditioning coaches to progress our athletes carefully decreasing thechance of injury by teaching proper mechanics, warm-up, and strengthening areas susceptible to injury such as:<

1. Quadriceps and Hamstrings: During training and sprinting at maximal effort, performing explosive actions with all out intensity, weak hamstrings and quadriceps may be exposed and often injured. Muscle imbalance may also be an issue in these muscles, (more often than not, the quadriceps having greater strength then the hamstrings) should be examined before training begins, and continuously strengthened throughout preparation training.

The hamstring muscle group (semimembranosis, semitendonosis, and biceps femoris) are critical musculature involved in locomotion and must be strengthened accordingly. The hamstrings are active in all three phases of sprinting. They are responsible for decelerating, eccentrically contracting, the forward leg movement in the swing phase (swing phase: where hip extension occurs, force being applied back towards the ground), stabilizing the knee and extending the hip during the support phase (support phase: at touchdown, when the braking takes place) and assisting the gastroc in extending the knee during the take-off phase (the lift of center of mass to highest trajectory). (4) It is necessary to train the hamstrings eccentrically due to the critical role of eccentric contractions of these high speed limb movements where generally this injury occurs (4). In some various studies the hamstrings, a 3:1 ratio of the quads to hams strength were found to correlate highly with an increased incidence of hamstring strains (4). Hamstring should be increase to 80% of the quad strength. A combination of concentric, isometric, and especially eccentric contraction training should be utilized in the training program (3). Excellent methods of training the hamstring complex are standing hamstring curls (free motion) focusing on decreasing lateral rotation of the hip, the “Triple Threat Combo” by Juan Carlos Santana (6), along with compound movements, squats, single leg squats, deadlifts, and power movements.

2. Hips (Adductors, Abductors, Hip Flexors): The hip complex is another area exposed to injury during explosive movements and change of direction. Hip flexors, especially rectus femoris, are often injured during high intensity training and sprinting. Rectus femoris can be trained fully by working in the sagital plane training the muscle in both hip flexion and knee extension. The hip adductors (adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectenius, gracilis) and hip abductors (tensor facia latte, gluteus minimus, gluteus medius) should also be trained concentrically, eccentrically, and isometrically to decrease chance of groin injuries, decrease lateral rotation of the hip (poor running mechanics), and help increase stabilization of the pelvis while in locomotion. As in hamstring injuries, hip flexors and adductors are generally injured during attempting to slow down the moving object. The eccentric contraction is not strong enough to counteract the concentric contraction or the momentum of the moving limb. Excellent methods of training the hip complex are standing hip flexion with and without knee flexion (free motion equipment), forward, lateral, 45 degree, backward 45 degree, and crossover reaching lunges with medicine balls or dumbbells. These exercise incorporate deceleration and the eccentric contraction important in developing the functional strength of changing direction and ceasing movement.

3. Core Running, jumping, explosive take-offs, all movements start with the core. A weak midsection means weak transfer of energy, which translates into a lot of dispersed energy on the lumbar spine. Progressive intensity in plyometrics and speed training, along with strengthening rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, and all the muscles of the low back (erector spinae muscles) will decrease the chances of low back pain, often a detrimental factor in performance. A variety of methods should be incorporated while training the core. Medicine balls, Stability Balls, Resistance Bands, and body weight stability core exercises should be used in developing functional strength in the core, producing efficiency of force transfer resulting in efficiency of movement.

Increase 225 rep max, increase power and speed strength

The 225 rep max tests absolute muscular endurance. This test uses an absolute load to evaluate muscular endurance under the assumption that muscular endurance is relative to muscular strength (5). When lifting with absolute loads defined as the equivalence between 1RM strength the reps completed with an absolute load are usually high. This would indicate that theoretically athletes with greater strength would perform more reps and have greater absolute muscular endurance. However, in one study shown (5), the correlation between the two decreased with athletes that could not perform more than 10 reps. Fortunately for measurement standards the overall averages for 225 rep max in the combine is approximately 19 plus, indicating higher equivalence levels between absolute muscular endurance and strength.

The 225 workouts are based upon initial evaluation. We begin by testing the athlete on the 225 and determining their repetition max. If a player scores over 10 repetitions they will perform the “Over 10” workout shown below. The “Over 10” workout develops strength and muscular endurance with a load beginning over 225 lbs (250lbs). The workout is done two times per week and the number of reps are recorded for each bench press attempt. The workout is done all the way up to the week before the combine or pro day, where a submaximal weight will be used in a 3 set of 10 recovery workout. The following is the over 10 repetition workout.<

250 pounds max number of times

25 push-ups

3:00 rest

250 pounds max number of times

25 push-ups

3:00 rest

225 max number of times

25 push-ups

2:00 rest

225 max number of times

25 push-ups

155 max number of times

25 push ups

2:00 rest

135 max number of times

25 push-ups

If a player performs less than ten reps, he begins with a load of 225 instead of 250. The same principles of progression and rest apply to the “Under 10” workout as they do to the “Over 10” workout. The player can begin to perform the over 225 workout based upon these results. The player must perform over 10 repetitions for 2 sets after their initial under 225 training. Below is the program for a player that performs under 10 reps:

225 pounds max number of times

25 push-ups

3:00 rest

225 pounds max number of times

25 push-ups

3:00 rest

165 pounds max number of times

25 push-ups

2:00 rest

165 pounds max number of times

25 push-ups

2:00 rest

135 max number of times

25 push-ups

Increasing Power and Speed

Strength is a component of power. We know that increasing our athletes strength will ultimately improve performance by increasing their explosive power and strength. Improving the muscles ability to produce power responsible for providing force against the ground during sprinting and change of direction will increase speed, acceleration, and ultimately performance. The periodized programs at the end of this article will help develop explosive power by increasing strength, kinetic linking, and overall muscular power. It is important to note that strength in the hip and core complex are the focal point of training in this program. Focusing from the bottom of the chest to the top of the knee will be the point of emphasis, along with exercises stressing powerful triple extension (hip extension, knee extension, and plantar flexion) in developing strength to produce great power. Exercises that will be used in this program are as follows:

Barbell Power Cleans

Barbell Hang Cleans

Single Arm/Single Leg Dumbbell Snatches

Dumbbell Power and Hang Cleans

Squats and Single Leg Squats

Lateral Squats

Dead-lifts

Lunges Multiple Directions

Hip Flexors plus extension (Free Motion Equipment)

Hip Extensors plus flexion (Free Motion Equipment)

Upper Abdominals and Obliques (using medicine ball, Free Motion, and bands)

Seated and Hanging Knee Raises for Lower Abdominals

Lower Back Extensions and Stabilization Exercises (Stability Ball)

To Help Attain Desired Body Weight and Body Composition

When discussing an athletes’ desired body weight and composition here are a few situations that the athletes may be faced with when preparing for these events.

Athlete needs to gain weight to play desired position in the NFL Athlete needs to gain weight to play different position in NFL Athlete needs to lose weight to play desired position in the NFL Athlete needs to lose weight to play different position in the NFL<

Usually if the athlete is going to be playing a different position in the NFL, the NFL scouts and coaches believe that their body type, size, speed, skill level, or a combination of one or the other would be best presented at a different position. Scouts and NFL personnel will usually inform players or their agents that they are looking at them for a different position from which they played in college. Athletes must market themselves by performing well at a particular weight. <

Strength training will play a major role in desired weight and body composition. There are a few ways to help your athletes either gain or lose weight. The goal of the athlete will determine how the strength and conditioning professional will manipulate these considerations into a program. An example would be a 6’4 268 pound defensive tackle (in college), who scouts think should play defensive line in the NFL. Because of this, the athlete will need to move to 280 pounds and still maintain his speed and athleticism. These are truly the demands that may be placed upon us. It is our job to get that athlete as close to his goal as possible in a safe manner. For this athlete, hopefully given a longer time frame, intense hypertrophy training along with an increase in caloric consumption would be the manipulation. Once again remembering that movement and speed training still must be a part of the program to maintain athleticism.

Here is a list of the following ways to manipulate training programs to attain desired body weights and compositions.

Manipulate sets and reps To gain muscle mass (4-5 sets of 6-8 reps) To maintain muscle while losing body fat (2-3 sets of 12-15) Increasing or decreasing caloric expenditure/consumption Strict nutritional guidelines Weigh-ins and body composition measurements every week

Sample Periodization Workouts for 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 weeks

10 Week Sample Program

Weeks


Duration (x per week)


Power and Explosive


Core Exercises


Assistance Exercises

2 Weeks


4 x per week


4 sets of 3 reps


4 sets of 6-8 reps


3 sets of 12 reps

3 Weeks


4 x per week


5 sets of 1-3 reps


4 sets of 4-6 reps


3 sets of 10 reps

3 Weeks


4 x per week


5 sets of 1-3 reps


5 sets of 3-4 reps


3 sets of 8 reps

1 Week


4 x per week


5 sets of 1-3 reps


5 sets of 3-4 reps


3 sets of 8 reps

1 Week


2 x per week


none


3 sets of 10


3 sets of 12 reps

Abdominals 150-200 reps per day





8 Week Sample Program

Weeks


Duration (x per week)


Power and Explosive


Core Exercises


Assistance Exercises

2 Weeks


4 x per week


4 sets of 3 reps


4 sets of 6-8 reps


3 sets of 12 reps

4 Weeks


4 x per week


5 sets of 1-3 reps


5 sets of 4-6 reps


3 sets of 8 reps

1 Weeks


4 x per week


5 sets of 1-3 reps


5 sets of 3-4 reps


3 sets of 8 reps

1 Week


2 x per week


none


3 sets of 10


3 sets of 12 reps

Abdominals 150-200 reps per day



6 Week Sample Program

Weeks


Duration (x per week)


Power and Explosive


Core Exercises


Assistance Exercises

2 Weeks


4 x per week


4 sets of 3 reps


4 sets of 6-8 reps


3 sets of 12 reps

3 Weeks

1 Week

Abdominals 150-200 reps per day


4 x per week

2 x per week


5 sets of 1-3 reps

none


5 sets of 3-4reps

3 sets of 10 reps


3 sets of 8 reps

3 sets of 12 reps






4 Week Sample Program

Weeks


Duration (x per week)


Power and Explosive


Core Exercises


Assistance Exercises

3 Weeks


4 x per week


4 sets of 1-3 reps


4 sets of 6-8 reps


3 sets of 10 reps

1 Week

Abdominals 150-200 reps per day


2 x per week


none


3 sets of 10 reps


3 sets of 12 reps







Conclusion

There are many aspects involved in preparing an athlete for the biggest job interview of their life. As performance specialists we must take each aspect and individualize it to help our clients achieve a top-notch performance. With knowledge and preparation comes confidence and with confidence comes a better chance of elite performance. Strength training goals should be to address injuries and rehabilitation concerns, strengthen areas that are susceptible to injury prior to or during training, pro day or combine, help increase 225 rep max, increase power by increasing strength, and to help attain desired weight and body composition. These 5 aspects of strength training, applied to an individualized basis, along with teaching the skills of combine success, will give your client that ability to increase their chances of getting drafted or signed as a free agent. This incredible achievement will also give you great pride in helping this athlete achieve their lifelong dream on what might be your clients greatest day; Draft Day.







REFERENCES

1. <
2. Abdo, J. Injury Prevention through weight training-the balanced approach. NSCA Journal. PP. 30-31. 1985
3. Blazervich, J. Optimizing Hip Musculature for greater sprint running speed. Strength and Conditioning Journal. Vol 22, No 2., pp. 22-27. <
4. Sports Speed. Champaign, IL. Human Kinetics.
5. Shankman, G. Hamstring Training: Injury Prevention and Care. NSCA Journa.l Volume 15, No. 4, pp. 37-41. 1993
6. Mayhew, J.L; Ware, J.S.; Bemben, M.G.; Wilt, B.; Ward, T.E.; Farris, B.; Juraszek, J.; Slovak, J.P. The NFL 225 test as a measure of Bench Press Strength in College Football Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Vol. 13, No. 2, 130-134. 1999
Santana, J.C. Hamstrings of Steel: Preventing the Pull, Part I- Isolated Versus Integrated Function. Strength and Conditioning Journal. Vol. 22, No. 6, 35-36. 2000.

6. Santana, J.C. Hamstrings of Steel: Preventing the Pull, Part II- Training the “Triple Threat.” Strength and Conditioning Journal. Vol. 23. No. 1. 2000
 

jdhz12181

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As far as The Keto diet (Like from DiPasquale) Vs. A Timed Carb Diet, like IA was talking about, which would be more effective for losing fat and gaining or keeping muscle at the same time?
 

LunaHotel

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I don't know about the TKD because I have never used it for myself or for others. I can tell you that the Anabolic Diet as per DiPasquale was in his words "Designed as an anabolic steroid replacement program".

Well, of course it's not as incredible as some of the cycles you see here or there. But you can be on it all year long if you want to and in my experience you will get results that are close to juicing IN THE LONGER TERM. Do an 8-week cycle of Fina and an 8-week keto diet and the Fina wins hands down. Over a 1-year or 2-year period, it becomes much more debatable which one is best.

The DiPasquale diet is hands-down the very best for losing fat for the simple reason that you adapt your metabolism to burnin ONLY fat for ALL your fuel needs. Imagine what having your fat-burning pathway so stimulated that it can get you through brutal weights workouts. That's it, this is the way to do it. Burning fat on this diet is not something you have to work at, it happens with perfect ease. But the first 2-3 weeks are hard and that is the price for it.
 

DoctorX2k2

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I tried BSF for a month and had great results until I re-injured my right knee in the 4th week. My father is a radiologist so Im going to pass some tests and make sure nothing's too wrong. I couldnt even do Push Presses anymore...
 

jdhz12181

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Hey guys, I am reading the Anabolic Diet by DiPasquale right now and it's interesting to say the least. My question is what kind of training/cardio goes best with this diet?
 

LunaHotel

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Your usual training is fine on this diet. Bodybuilding is what it was designed for.
 

jdhz12181

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And as far as taking carbs post workout with protein, do you just skip the carbs?
 

DoctorX2k2

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Is counting calories important to lose fat with Keto?
 

LunaHotel

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With the most hardcore ketogenic, which is what I describe here, you'll lose fat unless you are way above maintenance calorie levels.

So you might say that counting calories is NOT important. Of course, it is such a different way of eating that you will want to use something such as fitday.com to enter what you eat and get an idea of how much calories you are taking in. If your maintenance is 2500 and you take in 4000 you'll have trouble losing the fat.

Otherwise, you'll lose it without even trying. Of course, the RATE of fatloss is dependent on the caloric intake and by the time you're 200kcals UNDER maintenance you lose it FAST. One big reason for this is that a lot of ketones go unburned into your urine so that you end up burning much less than 9 calories per gram of fat that you metabolize.
 

DoctorX2k2

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I have hard time to go above the maintenance level while bulking so this shouldnt too much of a hassle. I started this morning and I'm really psyched about going through this. If I lose too much weight as weeks go by, should I be scared that it is muscle? I mean, should I lose 2lbs a week or does it matter?
 

LunaHotel

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Well at first you're going to lose a lot of water, unless you go crazy on the cold cuts... And losing the carbs inside your muscles makes them look a little flat, which will probably make you think like "YIKES! At this rate, I'm going to look like a 12-year-old in a month!" And it's wrong.

You will retain all your strength. And grow more as it goes on of course. Don't TRY to lose this or that much a week. It's not important for you. Your goal is to grow stronger and of course the incredible stamina that you will have by week 4 or 5 on this. Earlier, maybe.

Still, I encourage you to enter your foods in a fitday.com diary just to see how you're doing. Drop it after a couple of weeks if you want to, when you've got a feel of how much food is how many calories.

You'll lose the fat no matter what. Don't TRY. Just train for your goals. By christmas you'll be trying to eat pounds of ice cream and huge amounts of pizza to keep your bodyweight up, you'll be so ripped.
 

DoctorX2k2

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Thanks a ton for all these valuable advices... I really appreciate it.
 

DoctorX2k2

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Luna, I have one more question for you!

I just had a VO2max test in my gym class and it was pretty bad... worse I ever had. On the Canadian chart, Im rated 5 on 100 ?!??!? I did it last year and I was rated 80 on 100. 50 being the average. is it Keto related?
 

LunaHotel

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Huh what do you mean DoctorX2k2?
When did you start it?

At first, energy is difficult to get when you start a keto... Of course it's keto related, but that is just a transitional phase you're going through. It's hard but it's worth it.

OK here is what I'd like you to do... Post a DIARY of your keto experiment here. Start a thread and call it "my keto experiment" somewhere on the board. Me and other ketoers will coach you from there.

That way, you'll get the best advice and we'll know EXACTLY where you're coming from.
 

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